CN1765720A - inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

An inkjet printer includes a switchback unit U4 having a first and a second reception positions corresponding to the respective downstream sides of a magazine type storage (2) or a cassette type storage (3), and having a pair of rollers (41) moving between the send-out positions corresponding to the upstream ends of the downstream side transfer path. While a printing paper P is received and gripped by the switchback unit U4 at the first and the second reception positions, the printing paper P gripped at the send-out position is sent out to the downstream side transfer path. In the inkjet printer including more than two paper storages, and associated upstream transport paths, the paper storages and the upstream transport paths can be arranged freely, and the printing paper P stored in the respective paper storage can be optionally transferred.

Description

inkjet printer

technical field

The present invention relates to an inkjet printer that pulls out printing paper placed in a paper placement unit from a paper placement unit and conveys it to a printing unit, and prints on a printing surface of the printing paper in the printing unit.

Background technique

In general, an inkjet printer used in a photo printing system or the like is provided with: a paper setting section for placing printing paper; conveyor road.

Generally, the conveyance path of the above-mentioned inkjet printer is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-237156, and is constituted by a plurality of rollers for conveying printing paper.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned inkjet printer, there are often cases where printing is performed on a plurality of types of paper with different sizes. Assuming that only one paper placement section is provided, the printing paper placed in the paper placement section must be replaced in accordance with the command information. . In order to eliminate such troubles, in the above-mentioned inkjet printer, like the conventional image forming apparatus for photographs, two or more paper placement sections are provided in advance, and the paper placement sections placed on each of the paper placement sections are selectively pulled out based on the command information. paper in the printing section and transported to the printing section. (For example, refer to JP-A-2000-352766, JP-A-2001-33889, and JP-A-2002-90904).

However, in a conveyance path constituted by a plurality of rollers as described above, the conveyance state of printing paper changes greatly as the conveyance distance increases due to individual differences of the respective rollers or assembly errors. That is, the orientation with respect to the conveyance direction of the printing paper conveyed to the printing unit or the position in the paper width direction changes. For this reason, there is a demand to shorten the length of the conveyance path constituted by the rollers as much as possible.

In addition, when two or more paper placement sections are provided on the inkjet printer as described above, two or more upstream conveyance paths for pulling out printing paper from each paper placement section are also provided, and each upstream side is preferably The lengths of the side conveying paths are equal, or the number of rollers constituting the plurality of upstream conveying paths is equal so that the conveying conditions between two or more upstream conveying paths are not significantly different. That is, it is preferable to make the conveyance state (orientation with respect to the conveyance direction or position in the paper width direction) of the printing paper conveyed to the printing unit the same among the plurality of upstream conveyance paths.

However, if the above-mentioned conditions for the conveyance path are satisfied, the arrangement of the paper placement section or the arrangement of the upstream conveyance path is limited, resulting in an increase in the size of the inkjet printer.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to realize an inkjet printer having a configuration in which, when two or more paper placement units and upstream side transport paths are provided, these paper placement units or upstream side transport paths are not restricted. configuration, and satisfy the conditions for the above conveying path.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper conveying device having a holding member that holds and moves printing paper in the middle of a conveying path connecting two or more paper placement units and printing units.

Specifically, the inkjet printer of the present invention is aimed at the following inkjet printer, and it is provided with: the first to the nth (but n is a natural number of 2 or more) paper placement parts for respectively placing printing paper; The 1st to nth upstream conveying paths that pull out and convey the printing papers respectively placed in the 1st to nth paper placement parts; the printing part that prints on the printing surface of the above-mentioned printing papers; The printing unit conveys the one downstream side conveyance path of the above-mentioned printing paper.

Furthermore, it is provided with a paper conveying device having the first to nth receiving positions corresponding to the respective downstream ends of the above-mentioned first to nth upstream conveying paths, and the receiving positions corresponding to the upstream ends of the above-mentioned downstream conveying paths. A gripping member that is reciprocated by a moving mechanism between sending positions, and the above-mentioned paper conveying device is configured in such a manner that it is received and gripped by the gripping member at any of the first to n-th receiving positions and conveyed through the upstream conveying path. the printing paper, and the holding member is moved from the receiving position to the sending position by the moving mechanism, and the printing paper held at the sending position is sent out to the downstream conveying path.

Here, the above-mentioned downstream conveying path is a path for conveying the printing paper to the printing unit, and has the following function: at the position where the printing paper is sent out by the above-mentioned paper conveying device, the sent printing paper is sent to the printer in its original state. The printing section conveys, and furthermore, a portion for processing the printing paper is interposed between the upstream end of the downstream conveying path and the printing section, and is conveyed to the printing section after performing the processing.

In addition, the above-mentioned first to nth paper placement parts may be a carton storage part for long strips of printing paper rolled in a roll shape, or a cassette storage part for single-sheet printing paper. In the case where at least one of the first to n-th paper placement sections is the above-mentioned carton storage section, it is preferable to arrange a cut-off paper with a predetermined length on the upstream conveying path that pulls out and conveys the printing paper placed in the paper box storage section. The cutting device of the printing paper.

With the configuration of the above-mentioned inkjet printer, since the gripping member of the paper conveying device moves and conveys the printing paper between the first to n-th receiving positions and the sending-out positions, even if the first to n-th upstream conveying The printing papers placed in the first to nth paper placement sections are selectively sent out to the downstream conveying path by the paper conveying device. That is, the 1st to nth receiving positions can be independently set corresponding to the downstream ends of the 1st to nth upstream conveyance paths, so the arrangement of a plurality of paper placement parts or the arrangement of a plurality of upstream conveyance paths There is no restriction on the arrangement, and since the degrees of freedom in arrangement are increased, it is advantageous in terms of miniaturization of the inkjet printer.

In addition, by providing the above-mentioned paper conveying device, the distance from each paper placing unit to the receiving position (the length of each upstream conveying path) is the same without limiting the arrangement of a plurality of paper placing units and a plurality of upstream conveying paths. It becomes easy to equalize the number of rollers which comprise each upstream conveyance path. Furthermore, only the amount of printing paper is conveyed by the holding member of the paper conveying device, and the length of each upstream conveyance path can be shortened.

As a result, when these first to n-th upstream conveyance paths are configured by rollers, adverse effects on the conveyance state during the conveyance of the printing paper and differences in the conveyance state of the printing paper among the plurality of upstream conveyance paths are suppressed. That is, the paper conveying device is a device that conveys the printing paper by holding and moving the printing paper by the holding member, rather than a device that conveys the printing paper by rollers. Therefore, when the printing paper is being conveyed on the paper conveying device, the conveying state of the printing paper will not change. Therefore, the printing paper pulled out from each paper placement section is conveyed to the printing section with little influence on the printing quality, that is, in a state where the inclination with respect to the paper conveying direction is not increased compared with conveyance by rollers. . In this way, by providing the above-mentioned paper conveying device, it is possible to reduce the overall number of rollers for conveying the printing paper from the paper placement unit to the printing unit. In addition, the conveying conditions can be made the same among the plurality of upstream conveying paths. For example, even if the lengths of the conveying paths differ among the plurality of upstream conveying paths, the printing paper can be conveyed to the printing unit in the same conveying state.

In addition, when the above-mentioned paper conveying device moves the holding member to the sending position by the moving mechanism, the printing paper held by the holding member can be conveyed in a state cut from the upstream side conveying path, and the printing paper held by the holding member can be transported without being placed on the paper placement part. In the case of being affected by the setting state of the printing paper, the printing paper can be fed to the printing unit.

That is, if the long printing paper is continuously conveyed from the paper setting unit to the printing unit without cutting, the printing paper is affected by the setting state of the printing paper on the paper setting unit on the printing unit, thereby easily extending to the width of the printing paper. The direction is tilted. In this printing section, if the inkjet nozzles of the print head are arranged in a row along the paper conveying direction, and the printing paper is inclined only a little along the width direction, for example, the inkjet nozzles located at the upstream end and the downstream end of the nozzle row are ejected. The impact positions of the inks are greatly offset from each other along the paper width direction, which has a bad influence on the printing quality.

On the other hand, in the inkjet printer equipped with the above-mentioned paper conveying device, as described above, since the printing paper can be sent to the downstream conveying path in the state of being cut from the upstream conveying path by the paper conveying device, even if it is Strip-shaped printing paper and single-sheet-shaped printing paper can be fed to the printing unit without being affected by the set state. Furthermore, as described above, since the length of the conveyance path from the paper placement unit to the printing unit can be shortened only by the amount of the conveyance section of the holding member, the number of rollers for paper conveyance can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of skewing of the printing paper due to errors in the shape of the roller, and in combination with the operation of sending the printing paper to the downstream side of the conveying path in a state cut from the upstream conveying path, it is possible to reduce the amount of paper to the printing section. The inclination in the width direction of the printing paper can improve the printing quality.

Preferably, the gripping member is a pair of rollers configured to freely rotate forward and reverse about their respective central axes, face each other, and sandwich the printing paper therebetween. In this way, the holding member can be configured simply, and printing paper can be easily received or sent out.

Alternatively, a drive mechanism may be provided to rotate at least one of the rollers of the pair of rollers around a central axis, and the rollers may be rotated by the drive mechanism to receive and send printing paper. In this way, in addition to holding the printing paper, it is also possible to receive and feed out the printing paper, and there is no need for rollers for taking in and sending out the printing paper other than the holding member, thereby achieving cost reduction.

In the above-mentioned inkjet printer, it is preferable that the paper conveying device has a function of a diverting device that sends out the printing paper received by the holding member in a direction opposite to that at which it was received.

Specifically, it is preferable to configure such that the above-mentioned first to n-th upstream conveyance paths are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and the above-mentioned printing paper is conveyed with the printing surface facing upward. And it is configured that the downstream conveyance path is located above any one of the upstream conveyance paths, and is configured to convey the printing paper in the opposite direction to the upstream conveyance path with the printing surface facing up, The above-mentioned paper conveying device receives and holds the printing paper conveyed by the upstream conveying path through the above-mentioned holding member at any of the above-mentioned first to n-th receiving positions, and the above-mentioned holding member is moved from the above-mentioned receiving position to the position by the above-mentioned moving mechanism. The delivery position on the upper side moves, and at the delivery position, the gripped printing paper is sent out to the downstream conveying path in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the printing paper at the time of receiving.

With this configuration, it is possible to guide the printing paper from the upstream conveying path to the downstream conveying path with the printing surface facing up by the paper conveying device functioning as a switch, even if the upstream conveying path is arranged vertically (paper set part) and the downstream side conveying path (printing part), it is also possible to transport the printing paper to the printing part without greatly bending the printing paper.

That is, after arranging the upstream conveyance path (paper placement section) and the downstream conveyance path (printer section) at approximately the same height position, since the inkjet printer becomes horizontally long and requires a large space, it is preferable to arrange them vertically. In addition, in the inkjet printer, it is preferable that the printing surface of the printing paper is turned upward in the printing section, and the ink is ejected from the upper side against the printing surface. Also, when the upstream conveyance path (paper placement section) and the downstream conveyance path (printing surface) are arranged vertically and the printing paper is continuously conveyed from the paper placement section to the printing section by rollers, etc., pull out from the paper placement section and move upward. After feeding the printing paper, it must be bent in a horizontal state in order to make the printing side face up in the printing section. For this reason, the printing paper is forcibly bent at the bending portion. In the case of a long printing paper rolled up in a roll shape, the curl of the roll-up characteristic is promoted. In the case of a single-sheet printing paper, From a state of no curl to a state of greater curl. Therefore, in an inkjet printer, in order to ensure the flatness of the printing paper in the printing part and improve the printing quality, the printing part is sucked to the printing table by the suction device in the printing part, but if the reel of the printing paper is large, the suction The force requires a relatively large and large-scale suction device, resulting in an increase in space or an increase in cost.

On the other hand, in an inkjet printer equipped with a paper conveying device, the paper conveying device functions as the above-mentioned turning device. As described above, since it is not necessary to bend and return the printing paper greatly, it is difficult to form a narrower shape on the printing paper. Big curls. Therefore, the flatness of the printing paper in the printing section can be sufficiently ensured by a simple and compact suction device. In addition, depending on the conditions, even if no suction device is provided, the possibility that planarity can be ensured increases. Especially in the case of sheet-like printing paper, the suction device may not be required at all.

It may also be configured as follows: In an inkjet printer equipped with a paper conveying device, the paper conveying device has a function as the above-mentioned turning device, by using the above-mentioned gripping member as the above-mentioned roller pair, and providing a mechanism for making the roller pair At least one of the rollers rotates forward and reverse around the central axis through a driving mechanism, and the roller is rotated forward and reverse by this mechanism, and printing paper is received and sent out respectively. In this way, depending on the direction of rotation of the roller, it is possible to easily reverse the moving direction of the printing paper when receiving and sending out.

In an inkjet printer equipped with a paper conveying device, the paper conveying device has the function as the above-mentioned diverting device, and when at least one of the first to nth paper placement parts is a carton storage part, it is preferable that The upstream side conveying path that conveys the printing paper placed in the carton accommodating portion and the receiving position of the downstream end of the upstream side conveying path are arranged closer to the center of the spool of the spool-shaped printing paper placed in the carton accommodating portion. upper position. That is, although the relative holding member is below the portion corresponding to the moving range of the holding member on the opposite side from the upstream side conveyance path, there is only a gap of the size (spool diameter) of the printing paper wound up in the form of a roll. space, but can use that space efficiently. That is, although a space interval for the printing paper held by the holding member is required at a portion corresponding to the moving range of the holding member on the opposite side from the upstream conveying path with respect to the holding member, the upstream conveying path along the space interval Generally, the length in the extended direction is only required to be approximately the same as the length of the cut printing paper. However, the space interval for the printing paper is extended along the space below it, and when the paper conveying device receives the printing paper at the receiving position and introduces it to the side opposite to the upstream conveying path, the printing paper is hung down downward. , and the holding member is moved to the sending position in this hanging state, thereby reducing the length of the upstream side conveying path along the above-mentioned space interval in the extension direction.

In addition, if the upstream side conveying path corresponding to pulling out and conveying the printing paper placed in the carton accommodating portion and the receiving position at the downstream end of the upstream side conveying path are arranged at a lower position than the scroll-shaped paper placed in the carton accommodating portion If the center of the roll of paper is higher, the paper can be pulled out from the upper portion of the roll paper, and the roll paper can be easily pulled out from the paper placement section with the print side facing up. Furthermore, in consideration of the fact that there is no need to bend and return the printing paper from the upstream side conveyance path to the downstream side conveyance path, the upstream side conveyance path and the downstream side conveyance path can be arranged close to each other, and ink can be ejected not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction. format printer for compression. Moreover, by arranging the upstream side conveying path and the downstream side conveying path close to each other, the distance between the receiving position and the sending position can be shortened, and the time for the process of returning the holding member from the sending position to the receiving position can be shortened, that is, the time without actually carrying out the conveyance can be shortened. time required for the process.

In an inkjet printer equipped with a paper conveying device, the paper conveying device functions as the above-mentioned turning device, and the moving directions of the printing paper when the printing paper is received and when the printing paper is sent out by the paper conveying device are opposite to each other in the horizontal direction. the most ideal. As a result, the printing paper can be conveyed to the printing section without actually bending it, and the flatness of the printing paper in the printing section can be ensured more reliably.

In addition, in the inkjet printer according to the present invention, when at least one of the first to nth paper placement units is a carton storage unit for placing elongated printing paper rolled up in a roll shape, the paper conveyance It is ideal that the device has a function as a correcting device for correcting curl caused by the above-mentioned roll-up characteristic.

Specifically, it is preferable to configure as follows: at least one of the above-mentioned first to nth paper placement parts is used as a carton accommodating part for placing long strips of printing paper rolled up in the shape of a scroll, and after being pulled out and On the upstream side conveying path for conveying the printing paper placed in the above-mentioned carton accommodating section, a cutting device for cutting the printing paper according to a predetermined length is arranged, and the gripping members of the above-mentioned paper conveying device are configured to be freely forward and reverse around their respective central axes. A pair of rollers that rotate and face each other and sandwich the above-mentioned printing paper between them, and at the upstream end of the above-mentioned downstream side conveying path, there is provided a holding member that holds the front end of the printing paper sent out by the above-mentioned paper conveying device at the above-mentioned sending position. After the paper conveying device starts sending the printing paper cut into a predetermined length by the cutting device to the downstream conveying path at the sending position, when the leading end portion of the printing paper is held by the holding member, by The above-mentioned moving mechanism moves the above-mentioned roller pair that clamps the vicinity of the front end of the printing paper from the above-mentioned delivery position to the side of the receiving position for receiving the printing paper or the opposite side thereof, and the rollers of the printing paper The clamped part is moved from the vicinity of the front end to the rear end side to straighten the printing paper in the longitudinal direction, thereby correcting the curl caused by the roll-up characteristic.

With this structure, the following state is constituted: after the roller pair of the paper conveying device moves from the delivery position to the side of the receiving position for receiving the printing paper or the opposite side, the printing paper is wound on the side of the roller pair that moves with the roller pair. On the roller on the opposite side, and apply tension to the printing paper between the holding member and the roller pair. Along with the movement of the roller pair, the part of the printing paper that is sandwiched (gripped) by the roller pair moves from the vicinity of the front end to the rear end. Thus, the printing paper is straightened in the lengthwise direction. In this case, the moving direction of the pair of rollers may be determined so that the printing paper is wound around the rollers in a state of being bent to the opposite side of the curl. Preferably, when the roller pair moves toward the receiving position for receiving the printing paper, the printing paper is wound around the rollers in a state of being bent to the opposite side of the curl. In this way, curl correction can be performed while returning the roller pair to the receiving position for receiving the printing paper below.

That is, generally, since the above-mentioned long printing paper is rolled so that the printing surface faces outside, the longitudinal central portion of the printing paper is curled so as to protrude toward the printing surface side relative to both end portions. Therefore, when the pair of rollers faces each other in the vertical direction and moves vertically, and is configured so that the printing surface is sent upward to the downstream conveying path, the sending position is located above the receiving position. In this way, after the roller pair moves from the sending position to the receiving position, the printing paper is wound around the upper roller of the roller pair in a state of being bent to the opposite side from the curl.

Therefore, since the printing paper is clamped by the roller pair and tension is applied to the state of bending the printing paper on the side opposite to the curl, and straightened, even the printing paper with a large curl can be fully corrected. . Therefore, since the long printing paper rolled up in a roll shape is fed to the printing unit after the curl caused by the roll-up characteristic is corrected, it is possible to sufficiently secure the paper without a suction device or with a small suction device Flatness of printing paper.

Preferably, the holding member is a feed roller that receives the printing paper fed out by the roller pair and feeds it to the printing unit. In this way, the holding member can be configured simply, and the holding member can also be used as a conveyance roller for conveying the printing paper to the printing unit. At this time, when moving the roller pair to straighten the printing paper, it is preferable that the conveying rollers hold the front end of the printing paper in a state where the feeding of the printing paper is stopped.

When correcting the curl of the printing paper as described above, by changing the moving speed of the roller pair of the moving mechanism, the roll-up length of the printing paper of the roller that rolls the printing paper of the roller pair when the roller pair of the moving mechanism moves, The curl correction amount of the printing paper can be adjusted by, for example, the diameter of the roll of the printing paper that winds up the roller pair. Alternatively, by providing a drive mechanism that rotates at least one roller of the roller pair around the central axis during paper curl correction, and changing the rotational speed of the rollers by the drive mechanism, the curl correction amount of the paper can also be adjusted. That is, the slower the moving speed of the roller pair is, the larger the amount of curl correction becomes as the printing paper P is gradually straightened out. In addition, the longer the winding length to one roll, the larger the winding correction amount becomes. Also, the smaller the diameter of the roller that winds up the printing paper, the larger the amount of curl correction becomes. Furthermore, when the roller is rotated by the driving mechanism in a direction in which the printing paper is stretched relative to the holding member, the lower the rotational speed of the roller, the stronger the tension applied to the printing paper and the larger the amount of curl correction. On the other hand, when the roller is rotated along the direction of the printing paper by the driving mechanism relative to the holding mechanism, the slower the rotation speed of the roller, the stronger the tension applied to the printing paper and the larger the amount of curl correction.

Even in an inkjet printer equipped with a paper conveying device that functions as the above-mentioned curl correcting device, the paper conveying device functions as a diverting device as in an inkjet printer equipped with a paper conveying device. The 1st to nth upstream conveyance paths are arranged vertically side by side and are configured to convey the printing paper with the printing surface facing up, and the downstream conveyance path is located on the upstream side of any one of the above. It is ideal that the conveyance path be further upside and be constructed so that the printing paper is conveyed with the printing surface facing up. And, when at least one of the first to n-th paper placement parts is a carton storage part, it is preferable to draw out and convey the upstream side conveyance path and the upstream side corresponding to the printing paper placed in the carton storage part. The receiving position at the downstream end of the side conveyance path is located above the center of the roll of the roll-shaped printing paper placed in the carton storage section. Thus, the printing paper can be easily pulled out from the carton accommodating portion with the printing surface facing up, and at the same time, the upstream side conveying path and the downstream side conveying path can be arranged close to each other, thereby shortening the distance between the receiving position and the sending position. The distance between rollers can shorten the time for the process of returning the roller pair from the sending position to the receiving position, that is, shorten the time required for the process that does not actually transport. On the other hand, if the upstream side conveying path and the downstream side conveying path are arranged close to each other, the printing paper that is longer than the distance between the receiving position and the sending position is only in the process of returning the holding member from the sending position to the receiving position. It is difficult to correct curl substantially throughout the longitudinal direction of the printing paper. However, since the portion corresponding to the moving range of the pair of rollers on the opposite side of the upstream conveying path to the pair of opposing rollers, there is a vacancy of only the size (spool diameter) of the printing paper wound up in a roll shape. space, and by using this space, even long printing paper can be corrected almost entirely in its longitudinal direction.

In the above-mentioned ink jet printer according to the present invention, when at least one of the first to n-th paper placement parts is a carton accommodating part for placing long strips of printing paper rolled up in a roll shape, the paper conveyance The device preferably has both functions of the above-mentioned steering device and the above-mentioned curl correcting device. As a result, an inkjet printer with very good printing quality can be obtained in a compressed state.

In addition, as a preferable aspect, in the inkjet printer provided with a paper conveying device, the paper conveying device has the function of the above-mentioned curl correcting device, and one carton accommodating part and one cassette accommodating part are arranged, and the The receiving position corresponding to the downstream end of the first upstream side conveying path that pulls out and conveys the elongated printing paper placed in the carton accommodating portion is set as the first receiving position, and is used to pull the paper from the cassette accommodating portion The receiving position corresponding to the downstream end of the second upstream side conveying path that sends out and conveys the single-sheet printing paper placed in the cassette accommodating portion is set as the second receiving position. When the delivery position moves to the first receiving position and the printing paper is straightened in the longitudinal direction, the printing unit, the cassette storage unit and the cassette storage unit are arranged in the order of the printing unit, the cassette storage unit, and the carton storage unit with respect to the reciprocating movement direction of the above-mentioned holding member. And carton storage department.

That is, in the above-mentioned paper conveying device, after the long printing paper (printing paper cut according to a predetermined length) is sent out to the downstream side conveying path at the delivery position, since the holding member is moved to receive the long printing paper below, The action of returning to the first receiving position is the same as the action of moving the gripping member from the sending position to the first receiving position in order to correct the curl of the strip-shaped printing paper. Since the distance from the sending position to the first receiving position is relatively long, The curl correction operation can also be used for the return operation described above.

On the other hand, since the single-sheet printing paper does not require curl correction, the curl correction operation does not need to be used for the return operation, and the distance from the sending position to the second receiving position may be short. In addition, by making the distance from the sending position to the second receiving position relatively short, the conveyance time of the single-sheet printing paper is shortened as the moving distance of the holding member is shortened.

Therefore, with respect to the reciprocating movement direction of the above-mentioned gripping member, by arranging these members in the order of the cassette storage unit and the carton storage unit in the printing unit, the distance between the upstream end of the downstream conveyance path and the upstream end of the first upstream conveyance path, That is, the distance between the sending position and the first receiving position is relatively long, the distance between the upstream end of the downstream conveying path and the upstream end of the second upstream conveying path, and the distance between the sending position and the second receiving position are relatively shortened, and relatively Curl correction structure, proper arrangement of printing part, box storage part and carton storage part.

Preferably, the distance between the downstream end of the first upstream conveyance path and the upstream end of the downstream conveyance path is set to a maximum length of the printing paper when cut by the cutting device disposed on the first upstream conveyance path. same or longer.

That is, when the distance between the downstream end of the first upstream conveying path and the upstream end of the downstream conveying path is shorter than the maximum length of the above-mentioned printing paper, when the holding member corrects the curl of the elongated printing paper from the After the position is moved beyond the first receiving position, it is necessary to return to the first receiving position in order to receive the printing paper below, and the efficiency of paper conveyance and even the efficiency of printing process is reduced.

On the other hand, when the distance between the downstream end of the first upstream conveyance path and the upstream end of the downstream conveyance path is set to be equal to or longer than the maximum length of the printing paper, the holding member only When the position is moved to the first receiving position, curl correction is completed over the entire printing paper. As a result, efficiency regarding paper conveyance and even printing processing efficiency is improved.

Moreover, as a preferable form, the said printing part, a cassette storage part, and a carton storage part are arrange|positioned side by side in the vertical direction so that the said printing part may be located above and the carton storage part may be located below.

Thereby, the operator can easily perform the operation of setting the long printing paper in the lower carton accommodating portion. On the other hand, in the upper printing section, the printed paper is discharged above the inkjet paper, so that the operator can easily obtain the printed paper.

In addition, if the printing unit, the cartridge storage unit, and the carton storage unit are arranged at substantially the same height, the inkjet printer becomes horizontally long and requires a large installation space. As well as the carton storage section, the inkjet printer is miniaturized and the installation space is released.

In addition, as a preferable aspect, in the above-mentioned inkjet printer of the present invention, the above-mentioned first to n-th upstream conveyance paths are provided in a line in the vertical direction, and are conveyed with the printing surface facing upward. The above-mentioned printing paper is configured in such a way that the above-mentioned downstream conveyance path is located on the upper side of the above-mentioned one of the upstream-side conveyance paths, and the above-mentioned printing paper is conveyed with the printing surface facing up. When at least one of the paper placement parts is the above-mentioned carton storage part, a space interval for the printing paper held by the above-mentioned holding member and brought into a hanging state is provided on the opposite side of the above-mentioned each upstream conveyance path with respect to the above-mentioned holding member. The distance between the downstream end of the upstream conveying path connecting the above-mentioned carton accommodating portion and the bottom surface of the above-mentioned space interval is set to be the same as the maximum length of the printing paper when cut by the cutting device arranged on the upstream conveying path or longer than that.

That is, generally, the gripping member receives a strip of printing paper (printing paper cut to a predetermined length) or a single sheet of printing paper at the receiving position, and guides it to the opposite side of the upstream transport path. Therefore, although a space interval for the printing paper held by the holding member is required on the opposite side to each upstream side conveying path with respect to the holding member, the length of the extending direction of the upstream side conveying path along the space interval usually only needs to be equal to that of the upstream conveying path. The length of the printing paper held by the holding member is substantially the same.

However, in the present invention, when the holding member receives the printing paper at the receiving position and draws it to the side opposite to the upstream conveyance path, since the printing paper is held in a hanging state and moved to the delivery position in the hanging state, the edge length can be reduced. The length in the direction of extension of the conveyance path on the upstream side of the space interval.

And, by setting the distance between the downstream end of the upstream side conveying path connecting the above-mentioned carton storage part and the bottom surface of the space interval, that is, the distance between the receiving position of the elongated printing paper and the bottom surface of the space interval is set by The maximum length of the printing paper when the cutting device cuts it, and when the holding member holds the long printing paper, the printing paper does not come into contact with the bottom surface that divides the space. This prevents the occurrence of meandering of the printing paper and the adhesion of dirt, thereby ensuring the printing quality.

The printing unit and the first to nth paper placement units may be arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the paper conveying device may be configured in such a manner that the holding member reciprocates in the vertical direction at the side positions of the printing unit and the paper placement unit. .

Thereby, the inkjet printer can be compressed in the horizontal direction, and the installation space of the inkjet printer can be reduced in size. In addition, since the printing paper is conveyed by the paper conveying device, even in the configuration in which the printing section and the paper placement section are arranged vertically, as described above, the printing paper can be conveyed to the printing section without large bending of the printing paper, and it is possible to By arranging the carton accommodating portion and the cassette accommodating portion close to each other, the inkjet printer can be compressed not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction.

It is also possible to dispose the above-mentioned carton accommodating part at a lower position than one or more than two box accommodating parts, and arrange the receiving position corresponding to the downstream end of the upstream conveying path connected to the above-mentioned carton accommodating part at a position lower than that placed in the carton accommodating part. The position above the roll center of the roll-shaped printing paper in the carton storage section.

Thus, on the opposite side to the carton accommodating part with respect to the holding member, although there is only a space vacated by the size (reel diameter) of the roll-shaped printing paper of the carton accommodating part, the above-mentioned space interval can be effectively utilized. space. That is, although a distance of more than the maximum length of the elongated printing paper is required between the downstream end of the upstream conveying path connecting the carton storage unit and the bottom surface of the space, it can be easily achieved by vacating the space equivalent to the diameter of the spool. get the distance. As a result, the inkjet printer can be compressed in the vertical direction.

On the other hand, the said 1 or 2 or more cassette storage parts may be arrange|positioned below rather than the said carton storage part.

Thereby, as the arrangement position of the carton accommodating part becomes upward, the position of the downstream end of the conveyance path connected to the upstream side of the carton accommodating part becomes relatively higher, and the space generated on the opposite side to the cassette accommodating part can be used as a space interval with respect to the holding member. , it is possible to compress the inkjet printer in the vertical direction while printing on a relatively long printing paper.

In addition, when two or more cassette storage parts are arranged, the cassette storage parts are used to store single-sheet printing papers of different lengths, and the lengths of the single-sheet printing papers placed in the cassette storage parts can be The two or more cartridge storage parts are arranged side by side from the top to the bottom in order of length.

As a result, the downstream end of the upstream conveyance path connected to the cassette storage section where the long cut-sheet paper is placed is arranged at a relatively high position, and is connected to the cassette storage section where the short cut-sheet paper is placed. The downstream end of the upstream side conveying path is arranged at a relatively low position. On the other hand, the space generated on the opposite side to the cartridge housing portion arranged vertically can be used as the above-mentioned space interval relative to the holding member, and it can be aligned in the vertical direction. Inkjet printers do the compression.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the side of a casing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the steering unit viewed from the side of the housing.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing main parts of a steering unit viewed from the rear of a housing.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a printing table.

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 , showing a state in which a roller pair of a diverter unit is located at a delivery position.

Fig. 6 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 1 , showing a state in which a roller pair of the steering unit is located at a second receiving position.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 , showing a state in which curl of printing paper is corrected.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system.

9 is a schematic perspective view showing part of the configuration of another inkjet printer according to the present invention, viewed obliquely from the rear of the housing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing the configuration of another ink jet printer according to the present invention.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. This inkjet printer is used in a photo printing system, and is connected to a receiving block 100 (refer to FIG. 8 ) that acquires image data and command information and performs necessary correction processing through a communication cable. Image data transmitted by the communication cable from the receiving block 100 is printed on printing paper P. FIG.

The above-mentioned inkjet printer has: a frame body 1; a carton accommodating portion 2 disposed at the lower portion of the frame body 1; a box accommodating portion 3 disposed approximately in the vertical direction inside the frame body 1; 1, and the printing section 4 that prints the image data on the printing paper P; the first transport path for transporting the printing paper P from the carton storage section 2 to the printing section 4; The second conveying path for conveying the printing paper P by the unit 4; the third conveying path for discharging the printing paper P printed by the printing unit 4 from the printing unit 4 to the outside of the housing 1; provided outside the housing 1 , a discharge tray 5 for carrying the printing paper P discharged to the outside of the housing 1 through the third conveyance path. In addition, the front-back direction of the housing is the left-right direction in FIG. 1 , the front side of the housing is the right side in FIG. 1 , and the rear side of the housing is the left side in FIG. 1 . In addition, the left-right direction of the housing is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 .

In the above-mentioned carton storage unit 2 , the elongated printing paper P rolled up in a roll shape is placed in a state of being stored and held in the carton 8 . This printing paper P is rolled up so that the printed surface to be printed is exposed to the outside. On the other hand, in the cassette storage unit 3 described above, a plurality of sheets of printing paper P are placed in a state of being housed and held in a rectangular box-shaped paper feeding cassette 9 . The printing paper P in the paper feeding cassette 9 is stacked in the thickness direction (vertical direction) with the printing surface positioned on the upper side, and is pressed by the pressing plate 10 against the later-described delivery roller 35 positioned on the upper side. . The above-mentioned carton storage unit 2 constitutes a first paper storage unit on which printing paper P is placed, and the cassette storage unit 3 constitutes a second paper storage unit. Then, the printing paper P placed in the carton storage unit 2 or the cassette storage unit 3 is transported to a printing unit 4 described later, is printed by the printing unit 4 , and is discharged to the above-mentioned discharge tray. In addition, in the carton accommodating portion 2, printing papers P with a small width may be placed side by side along the left-right direction of the two frames. The storage units 2 are simultaneously pulled out and conveyed in two rows, and printed on the printing paper P in the printing unit 4 and simultaneously discharged to the discharge tray.

In the housing 1, a first supply unit U1, a cutting unit U2, a second supply unit U3, a switch back U4, and a printing unit U5 are provided to constitute the first to third conveyance paths. The first conveyance path is configured such that the first supply unit U1 , the cutting unit U2 , the diverting unit U4 , and the printing unit U5 are arranged sequentially from the carton storage unit 2 . The second conveyance path is configured such that the second supply unit U3 , the diverter unit U4 , and the printing unit U5 are arranged sequentially from the cassette storage unit 3 . Furthermore, the printing unit U5 constitutes a third transport path.

The said 1st supply unit U1 is installed in the carton accommodating part 2 (carton 8). The first supply unit U1 includes: three support rollers 15 for supporting the roll-shaped printing paper P; a guide member 16 for guiding the printing paper P to the cutting unit U2; U2 conveys the printing paper P and is composed of a pressure-contact type supply roller 17 composed of driving and driven rollers 17a, 17b; Among the three supporting rollers 15 , the roller arranged on the front side of the housing is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown), so that the printing paper P is given a rotational force around the center of the roller. In addition, the driving roller 17a of the supply roller 17 is rotated together with the driving roller 25a of the later-described delivery roller 25 arranged in the same cutting unit U2 by the electric motor 30 arranged in the cutting unit U2, through the transmission belt 31 and the gear train 19. drive. On the downstream side of the first supply unit U1, a first paper detection sensor 20 is provided, and by the first paper detection sensor 20, the rear end of the printing paper P when the printing paper P is completely pulled out from the carton storage portion 2 is detected. . When the rear end of the printing paper P is detected, the operator is notified of the information through a visual data terminal or the like.

The cutting unit U2 is provided on the rear side of the frame of the first supply unit U1 in a state of being fixed to the vertical frame 6 extending in the vertical direction, and is provided with a crimping type that feeds the printing paper P to the switch unit U4. A delivery roller 25; a cutting device 26, which is arranged on the downstream side of the delivery roller 25 and is used to cut the printing paper P, and is composed of a fixed blade 26a and a movable blade 26b; a drive mechanism for driving the movable blade 26b, etc. are accommodated. The cutting device driving part 27; the guide member 28 extending in the horizontal direction and guiding the printing paper P from the delivery roller 25 to the cutting position of the cutting device 26. The cutting device 26 cuts the printing paper P pulled out from the carton storage unit 2 to a predetermined length based on the command information from the receiving block 100 . The delivery roller 25 is composed of a driving roller 25 a and two driven rollers 25 b that sandwich the printing paper P, and these driven rollers 25 b are driven onto the roller 25 a by a compression coil spring 29 . As described above, the drive roller 25a is rotationally driven by the electric motor 30 together with the drive roller 17a of the supply roller 17 of the first supply unit U1 by the transmission belt 31 . Furthermore, the printing paper P is moved horizontally behind the frame by the delivery roller 25 and the guide member 28 and sent out to the turnaround unit U4. Cut it to the specified length. In addition, according to the above-mentioned roller pair 41, it is possible to receive the printing paper P not only before cutting but also after cutting. However, at this time, in order to increase the conveyance path of the cutting unit U2, it is preferable to receive before cutting.

The second supply unit U3 includes: a delivery roller 35 that abuts the printing surface of the uppermost printing paper P of the plurality of printing papers P (single-sheet printing paper) placed in the cassette storage unit 3 ; and The electric motor 36 of the delivery roller 35 is driven by the gear train 37, wherein, through the driving of the delivery roller 35, only one sheet of printing paper P located at the top moves horizontally behind the frame, and is moved toward the steering unit U4. send out.

The switch unit U4 constitutes a paper transport device and a switch device provided in the middle of the first transport path and the second transport path. The diversion unit U4 is fed by the first upstream conveying path (i.e. the first supply unit U1 and the cutting unit U2) or the second upstream conveyance path (i.e. the second supply unit U3) on the upstream side of the diversion unit U4. The conveyed printing paper P is sent out from the downstream conveying path (ie, printing unit U5 ) located on the downstream side of the switch unit U4 in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the printing paper when it is received. That is, on the first and second upstream conveyance paths, the printing paper P is conveyed toward the back side of the housing with the printing surface facing upward, and is located downstream of any of the above upstream conveyance paths. On the side conveying path, although the printing paper P is conveyed to the front side of the frame in the opposite direction to the upstream conveying path with the printing surface facing up, the printing paper P is advanced in the state of facing the printing surface by the diverting unit U4 The bottom is reversed, and the transition of the printing paper P from the upstream side conveyance path to the downstream side conveyance path is smoothly performed without bending the printing paper P.

Specifically, the switchback unit U4 includes a holding member that receives and holds the printing paper P conveyed by the first or second upstream conveyance path. In this embodiment, the holding member and pressure-contact type rollers are configured to be freely rotatable in forward and reverse directions about their respective central axes, and are opposed to each other in the vertical direction, and a pair of rollers 41 for sandwiching the printing paper P are used therebetween. One of the pair of rollers 41 (in this embodiment, the roller that is released from the back of the printing paper P) is a driving roller 41a, and the other (the roller that is released from the printing surface of the printing paper P) is a driven roller 41b. Moreover, the driving roller 41a can be driven to rotate forward and reverse around the central axis by the electric motor 42 and the transmission belt 43 (refer to FIGS. 2 and 3 ) as the driving mechanism. The receiving and drawing of the printing paper P in the side conveying path is carried out by the reverse rotation of the drive roller 41a, and the printing paper P is sent out to the downstream side conveying path. In addition, both rollers of the roller pair 41 may be driven, and the functions of driving and being driven upside down may also be used.

The above-mentioned roller pair 41 is linearly moved in the up-down direction at positions behind the casings of the cutting unit U2, the second supply unit U3, and the printing unit U5 by the moving mechanism. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the moving mechanism is provided with: a track stand 45 fixed on the vertical frame 6 and extending along the up and down and left and right directions of the frame body; The running rail 46 of one end portion of the left and right direction of the frame body; the drive belt 48 that is wound on two pulleys 47 that are respectively arranged near the upper and lower ends of the form rail 46, and extends along the running rail 46; and is installed The electric motor 49 is fixed on the track frame 45 and directly connected to the pulley 47 on the lower side. The drive belt 48 can be driven forward and reverse by the electric motor 49 . And, on the drive belt 48, a fixed bracket 50 is installed, and on this bracket 50, a sliding member 51 that is fitted and slides with the running rail 46 is fixed, and the bracket 50 is driven by the forward and reverse drive of the drive belt 48 driven by the electric motor 49. Can move back and forth along the up and down direction. In addition, the up and down position of the bracket 50 can be known by measuring the amount of movement (for example, the rotation amount of the motor) from a reference position (for example, the lowermost end) where a sensor or the like for detecting the bracket 50 is installed. .

A support plate 52 is fixed to the bracket 50, and one end of the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b of the pair of rollers 41 are rotatably supported on the support plate 52, whereby the rollers move as the bracket 50 moves. The pair 41 moves linearly in the up and down direction. Also, although not shown, the other ends of the driving roller 41 a and the driven roller 41 b are slidably supported in the vertical direction by a supporting portion formed at the other end in the left-right direction of the rail stand 45 .

The electric motor 42 for driving the above-mentioned driving roller 41 a is fixed to the above-mentioned support plate 52 . Pulleys 54 are respectively fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 42 and one end of the drive roller 41a. The drive belt 43 is wound around the pulleys 54, and the drive roller 41a is driven by the drive belt 43.

By the moving mechanism, the pair of rollers 41 reciprocates between the first and second receiving positions corresponding to the respective downstream ends of the first and second upstream conveying paths and the delivery position corresponding to the upstream ends of the downstream conveying paths. . That is, the position substantially at the same height as the downstream end of the above-mentioned cutting edge U2 (the position near the lower end of the travel rail 46) becomes the first receiving position for receiving the printing paper P by the cutting unit U2, and the downstream end of the above-mentioned second supply unit U3 The position at substantially the same height (approximately the center position in the vertical direction of the travel rail 46 ) becomes a receiving position (hereinafter referred to as a second receiving position) where the printing paper P is received by the second supply unit U3 . On the other hand, a position substantially at the same height as the upstream end of the printing unit U5 (a position near the upper end of the traveling rail 46 ) is a delivery position for delivering printing paper P to the printing unit U5. In this way, the downstream ends of the first and second upstream conveying paths and the upstream ends of the downstream conveying paths are only separated by a predetermined distance (a value determined by the arrangement of the units U1 to U5 and set as small as possible). value) separation, corresponding to this, the above-mentioned roller pair 41 reciprocates between the first and second receiving positions and the sending position separated only by a predetermined distance.

Furthermore, the switch unit U4 is configured as follows: at the first receiving position, after receiving and holding the printing paper P through the roller pair 41 and through the first upstream conveyance path (cutting unit U2), and passing through the cutting device 26 according to a prescribed After the printing paper P is cut to the length, the printing paper P cut according to the predetermined length is moved to the position of the roller pair 41 for sending out and gripping by the above-mentioned moving mechanism, and moves along the same direction as the printing paper P when receiving the printing paper P at the sending out position. The direction opposite to the moving direction of P is sent to the downstream conveying path. In addition, the diversion unit U4 is configured as follows: after receiving and holding the printing paper P through the roller pair 41 and the second upstream conveying path (second supply unit U3 ) at the second receiving position, the printing paper P is moved by the above-mentioned moving mechanism. P moves to the position of the roller pair 41 held at the sending out position, and is sent out to the downstream conveying path in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the printing paper P when the printing paper P is received at the sending position. In this way, the moving direction of the printing paper P sent out to the downstream conveying path becomes the direction opposite to the moving direction when it is received in the horizontal direction (the frame faces forward).

As shown in Figure 2, first and second support members 56, 57 (not shown in Figure 3 ) are respectively fixed on the frame body front side and rear side of the roller pair 41 of the above-mentioned support plate 52. It is located on the lower side of the printing paper P held by the roller pair 41 and supports the printing paper P. The first supporting member 56 serves to guide the printing paper P from the cutting unit U2 to the roller pair 41 in a horizontal state. A second paper detection sensor 58 for detecting printing paper P is provided on the first supporting member 56 .

On the other hand, a bent portion bent downward is formed at the rear portion of the frame of the second support member 57 , and the bent portion is in contact with the pressing roller 59 . The pressing roller 59 is rotatably attached to the front end of the arm 60 , the arm 60 is rotatably supported on the support plate 52 , and the bending portion of the second supporting member 57 is pressed by the self-weight of the pressing roller 59 . butt. Then, the printing paper P held by the roller pair 41 hangs downward due to the curved portion of the second supporting member 57 and the pressing roller 59 and does not come into contact with the rear inner wall surface of the housing 1 . That is, on the rear side of the frame body of the steering unit U4 in the frame body 1 (with respect to the roller pair 41, the movement range of the roller pair 41 on the opposite side of the first and second upstream side conveying paths and the downstream side conveying path Part) is provided with a space interval 12 for the printing paper P held by the roller pair 41, but the printing paper P sags downward when passing as described above, and the front and rear direction of the frame along the space interval 12 can be reduced as much as possible (the first 1 and the length of the extension direction of the second upstream conveying path). On the other hand, by sagging the printing paper P downward, it is not necessary to make the space 12 for the printing paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 below the part corresponding to the above-mentioned moving range (the lower side of the first receiving position). However, in the present embodiment, regarding the first conveyance path, the first upstream conveyance path and the first receiving position located on the upstream side of the steering unit U4 are provided above the center of the roll of printing paper P. The printing paper P is the printing paper P placed in the carton accommodating portion 2 , so that the space 12 can be easily extended downward without increasing the height of the housing 1 . In this way, the distance between the downstream end of the cutting unit U2 (that is, the first receiving position) and the bottom surface of the space 12 becomes H, and the distance H is set to be the same as that of the printing paper when it is cut off on the cutting unit U2. The maximum length of P is the same as or longer than that.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, restricting members for restricting movement in the width direction of the printing paper P are respectively provided at both ends of the first and second supporting members 56 and 57 in the paper width direction, and the two restricting members are configured as follows: The interval can be varied based on the paper width (the paper width is known by detecting the identification code provided in the carton 8). As described above, when two rows of printing paper P are conveyed, another restricting member enters the conveyance path at the center between the two restricting members, and the width of the printing paper P conveyed in two rows is restricted by these three restricting members. direction of movement.

The above-mentioned printing unit U5 is equipped with: a fixed table 65 fixed on the horizontal frame 7 extending in the horizontal direction at the upper end position of the above-mentioned vertical frame 6; a printing table 66 supporting the printing paper P; and a printing head 67 facing the printing paper P on the printing table 66 and ejecting against the printing paper P for printing. The printing stage 66 and the printing head 67 constitute the above-mentioned printing unit 4 .

The printing table 66 is not configured to suck and hold the printing paper P from the lower side of the printing table 66 by a fan or the like, and does not have suction holes or the like as shown in FIG. 4 . At both ends of the print table 66 in the paper width direction (X direction shown in FIG. 4 ), a plurality of (in this embodiment, six on each side) grooves extending in the paper conveyance direction (Y direction) 66a are formed so as to line up with predetermined intervals in the paper width direction. These grooves 66a are provided at both ends in the width direction of printing paper P of various sizes. Ink absorbing member 68 for absorbing the ink is inserted when the ink absorbs the ink (in particular, it tends to fall off to the outside when printing without borders). Further, in the central portion of the printing table 66 in the paper width direction, recesses 66b are formed corresponding to the positions of the three head units 67a described later, and ink absorbers 69 are fitted into the recesses 66b. When the printing paper P is conveyed in two lines and printed, the ink that is preliminarily ejected (test shot before printing) by each head unit 67 a of the print head 67 is absorbed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , the above-mentioned print head 67 has three head units 67a, and the three head units 67a have a plurality of ink jet nozzles 67b arranged along the bottom surface (the surface facing the printing platform 66 ) of the three head units 67a. They are formed in a row in the sub-scanning direction (paper conveyance direction (Y direction)), and these three head units 67a are arranged side by side at intervals in the sub-scanning direction. In addition, although only one nozzle row of each head unit 67a is described in FIG. 4 , in practice, they are arranged so as to correspond to inks of a plurality of colors and to line up in the paper width direction. In addition, the number of head units 67a does not need to be three, and may be one or two, or four or more.

The upper surface of the above-mentioned print head 67 is installed and fixed on the drive belt 70, and the drive belt 70 is used to make the print head 67 move along the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 (X direction shown in FIG. 4)) reciprocating movement. The drive belt 70 extends in the main scanning direction and is wound around two pulleys 71 (only one is shown in FIG. 1 ). The pulleys 71 are respectively arranged at both ends of the drive belt 70 and are rotatably supported. On the top of the fixed table 65. One pulley 71 is rotationally driven by an electric motor not shown. Furthermore, a guide rail 72 extending along the drive belt 70 and extending in the main scanning direction is mounted and fixed on the upper portion of the fixed table 65 , and the print head 67 is guided by the guide rail 72 while being reciprocated by the drive belt 70 in the main scanning direction. Furthermore, the printing paper P on the printing table 66 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction at intervals (steps) by a constant unit conveying amount by the conveying roller 75 provided on the upstream side of the printing table 66, and the printing paper P at the time of conveying in the interval During each stop of P, the print head 67 performs one scan (one move or one return action) along the main scanning direction. Out of ink. That is, after one scan of the print head 67, only the printing paper P is conveyed by the unit transport amount, and thereafter, the print head 67 scans once again, and this operation is repeated to print a desired image.

The conveying roller 75 is provided at the upstream end of the printing unit U5 (that is, at the upstream end of the downstream conveying path, in the vicinity of the roller pair 41 (see FIG. 5 ) at the delivery position), and has the function of receiving and passing the roller at the delivery position. The printing paper P sent out at 41 is used to transport the printing paper P to the printing unit 4 . The delivery roller 75 is the same as the delivery roller 25 of the cutting unit U2, and is composed of a driving roller 75a and two driven rollers 75b that sandwich the printing paper P, and the two driven rollers 75b are pressed by a compression coil spring 76. against the drive roller 75a. The drive roller 75 a is rotationally driven by an electric motor 77 and by a belt 78 .

The height position of the clamped portion of the printing paper P that is clamped by the conveying roller 75 is higher than the upper surface of the printing table 66, and the printing paper P is wound on the driving roller 75a while being oblique to the printing table 66. Enter above. Then, the entered printing paper P is bent by the guide roller 79 to the side opposite to the portion wound around the driving roller 75a, and the printing paper P is conveyed in a state where the back surface of the printing paper P is substantially in contact with the upper surface of the printing table 66. P, wherein the guide roller 79 is supported at the upstream end of the printing table 66 with a gap above the upstream end.

On the other hand, on the downstream side of the printing table 66, in order to constitute a third conveyance path for discharging the printed printing paper P to the outside of the housing 1, there are provided a drive and a slave Two pairs of pressure contact type discharge rollers 81 constituted by movable rollers 81a and 81b. The driving rollers 81 a of the respective discharge rollers 81 are simultaneously driven by an electric motor and by a transmission belt 83 . Moreover, the height position of the discharge roller 81 on the downstream side is higher than that of the discharge roller 81 on the upstream side, and between the discharge roller 81 on the downstream side and the discharge roller 81 on the upstream side, there is provided the discharge roller 81 that lifts the printing paper P to the downstream side. A guide member 84 that guides the printing paper P.

As described above, since the printing paper P is lifted to a position higher than the upper surface of the printing table 66 on the upstream and downstream sides of the printing table 66, the portion of the printing paper P on the printing table 66 is pressed against the upper surface of the printing table 66. . Thereby, the flatness of the printing paper P on the printing table 66 is ensured. In particular, the printing paper P conveyed from the carton accommodating portion 2 is curled at the central portion in the longitudinal direction so that the opposite end portions protrude toward the printing surface side due to the above-mentioned roll-like rolling characteristics. The printing paper P is not attracted to the printing table 66 so that planarity can be ensured. In addition, in this embodiment, as will be described later, since the above-mentioned curl is corrected before the printing paper P conveyed from the carton accommodating portion 2 is supplied to the printing table 66, the planarity can be further improved.

The discharge tray 5 is provided on the front side of the discharge roller 81 on the outside of the casing 1, protrudes forward of the casing 1, and has an auxiliary tray 5a at the front end thereof. When the length of the printed paper P to be discharged is longer than the length of the discharge tray 5 , the auxiliary tray 5 a can catch the long printed paper P by being pulled out forward of the housing 1 .

In this embodiment, the above-mentioned diverting unit U4 and the conveying roller 75 of the printing unit U5 constitute a curl correcting device, which is used to straighten the carton that is pulled out from the carton storage part 2 and cut to a predetermined length by the cutting device 26. Curl on the printing paper P due to the roll-up characteristics described above. In addition, in the case of the printing paper P conveyed from the cassette storage unit 3, since curl does not normally occur, the curl correcting device does not operate.

Specifically, the conveying roller 75 of the printing unit U5 functions as a holding member for holding the leading end portion of the printing paper P sent out at the sending position by the roller pair 41 of the switch unit U4. 41 holds the printing paper P held by the conveying rollers 75 in a state extending in the width direction of the printing paper P. That is, after the feed roller 75 starts feeding the printing paper P (printing paper P cut to a predetermined length by the cutting device 26 ) clamped by the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4, it receives the sent printing paper P and When the front end (rear end at the time of receiving) is clamped, the operation is temporarily stopped, and the front end can be held. When the operation of the transport roller 75 is stopped, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 pinches the vicinity of the front end of the printing paper P held by the transport roller 75 .

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, when the printing paper P is held by the above-mentioned conveying roller 75, the roller pair 41 clamping the vicinity of the front end of the printing paper P is moved toward the surface of the roller pair 41 by the moving mechanism of the steering unit U4. The drive roller 41a side moves towards the direction. As a result, the printing paper P is wound around the driven roller 41b on the upper side of the roller pair 41 in a state of being bent to the opposite side of the above-mentioned curl, and the portion between the conveyance roller 75 and the roller pair 41 of the printing paper P is given a tension. That is, the printing paper P is curled in such a way that the central portion in the longitudinal direction protrudes toward the printing surface side relative to the both ends due to the above-mentioned roll-shaped rolling characteristics, and passes through the driven roller of the roller that winds it up on the printing surface side. 41b is in a state of being bent to the side opposite to the curl. For this purpose, the roller pair 41 is moved to the driving roller 41a side (that is, the lower side) of the roller opposite to the printing surface, and the printing paper P is wound around the driven roller 41b. As the roller pair 41 moves, the portion of the printing paper P sandwiched by the roller pair 41 moves from the vicinity of the front end to the rear end side. As a result, the printing paper P passes through the roller pair 41 and is straightened along the paper length direction in a state where the side protruding due to the curl (the printing surface side) is brought inside by bending. As a result, the printing paper P is straightened. the curl. In addition, the transport roller 75 is configured to hold the printing paper P in a state where the transport of the printing paper P is stopped during the curl correction of the printing paper P.

The amount of curl correction of the printing paper P performed by the above-mentioned curl correction device can be adjusted by changing the moving speed of the roller pair 41 of the above-mentioned moving mechanism. That is, the slower the moving speed of the roller pair 41 is, the larger the amount of curl correction becomes as the printing paper P is gradually straightened out.

Alternatively, it is also possible to change the roll length of the printing paper P to the roller (here, the driven roller 41b) that winds the printing paper P of the roller pair 41 during the movement of the roller pair 41 of the moving mechanism. Adjust the curl correction amount of the paper P. That is, the longer the winding length to the driven roller 41b is, the larger the curl correction amount becomes. In addition, in order to change the winding length to the driven roller 41b in this way, for example, a roller is provided that presses the rear end side of the driving roller 41a on the back side of the printing paper P against the driven roller 41b side, and by Changing the amount of pressing can change the rolled length.

Alternatively, the amount of curl correction of the printing paper P can also be adjusted by changing the diameter of the roller (driven roller 41 b ) that winds up the printing paper P of the roller pair 41 . That is, the smaller the diameter of the driven roller 41b, the larger the curl correction amount is. In order to change the diameter of the roller in this way, for example, parts with different diameters are provided in multiple stages in the longitudinal direction of the roller, and the roller diameter can be changed by moving the roller along the longitudinal direction corresponding to the part in contact with the printing paper P.

Alternatively, during the downward movement of the roller pair 41 (that is, during the curl correction of the printing paper P), the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 is driven, and by changing the rotational speed of the driving roller 41a at this time, it is also possible to adjust Curl correction amount of paper P. That is, when the drive roller 41a is reversed (rotated in the same direction as when the printing paper P is sent out at the delivery position), it is necessary to set its rotational speed and the moving speed of the roller pair 41 separately so that tension is applied to the printing paper P. , but the slower the rotation speed of the driving roller 41a, the stronger the tension applied to the printing paper P becomes, so that the amount of curl correction becomes larger. On the other hand, when the drive roller 41a rotates forward (receives the printing paper P at the first receiving position and rotates in the same direction as when it is introduced into the space 12), the faster the rotation speed of the driving roller 41a, the greater the pressure on the printing paper P. The stronger the tension becomes, the larger the amount of curl correction becomes. In addition, if the roller of the printing paper P that winds up the roller pair 41 is driven, the amount of curl correction of the printing paper P can be adjusted more reliably by changing the rotational speed of the roller.

The above-mentioned adjustment of the amount of curl correction can also be performed after completion of the inkjet printer in a factory or the like and before shipment, and the user can also freely adjust it. Furthermore, the inkjet printer itself can detect the amount of curl of the printing paper P, and automatically adjust it.

Even if the rear end of the printing paper P is separated from the roller pair 41 , the roller pair 41 continues to move downward in this state, and returns to the first receiving position to receive the following printing paper P. That is, when the roller 41 moves from the sending position to the first receiving position, the curl of the printing paper P is corrected. Here, the distance between the downstream end of the cutting unit U2 and the upstream end of the printing unit U5, that is, the distance L1 between the first receiving position and the delivery position (see FIG. The maximum length of the printing paper P is the same as or longer than that. For example, when the maximum length of the printing paper P is longer than the above-mentioned distance L1, the roller pair 41 is moved below the first receiving position to cover substantially the entirety of the printing paper P to correct the curl, although it is necessary to return to the first receiving position thereafter. position, but by setting the above-mentioned distance L1 to be equal to or longer than the maximum length of the printing paper P, there is no need to return to the first receiving position. Accordingly, the operation of returning the roller pair 41 from the delivery position to the first receiving position can also be used for the curl correction operation.

In addition, it is preferable to set the distance L1 described above to be slightly longer than the maximum length of the printing paper P. Moreover, even if the above-mentioned distance L1 is set shorter than the maximum length of the printing paper P, by utilizing the space for the printing paper P to hang downward as described above, the frame body 1 becomes larger vertically, since the substantially entirety of the printing paper P can be The configuration of setting the distance L1 above the maximum length of the printing paper P to correct the curl is not an essential configuration in the inkjet printer.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the inkjet printer includes a microprocessor 101 (hereinafter referred to as CPU), a transport control unit 102 connected to the CPU 101 through a data line, a print head control unit 103, a print control unit 104, and a control system as a control system. Semiconductor memory RAM/ROM 105 , communication interface 106 , first paper detection sensor 20 and second paper detection sensor 58 described above.

The conveyance control part 102 performs each operation control of the said units U1-U5. The print head control unit 103 controls the operation of the print head 67 . The communication interface 106 is used to send and receive information to and from the receiving block 100 . The print control unit 104 performs control for printing the image data on the printing paper P based on the image data received from the receiving block 100 through the communication interface 106 .

Under the control of the above-mentioned transport control unit 102, the above-mentioned units U1 to U5 operate as follows.

When printing on the printing paper P set in the carton accommodating portion 2, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned in advance at the first receiving position (see FIG. 1 ). Then, by operating the first supply unit U1 and the supply roller 17 and the delivery roller 25 of the cutting unit U2, the printing paper P is pulled out from the carton storage section 2 and conveyed to the roller pair 41 at the first receiving position.

The driving roller 41a of the above-mentioned roller pair 41 starts to drive when the front end of the printing paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, and rotates counterclockwise (forward rotation) as shown in FIGS. The printing paper P conveyed to the frame is received and held in the horizontal direction. That is, the printing paper P is sandwiched between the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b. The driving roller 41a continues to drive, and introduces the printing paper P into the space 12 at the rear side of the frame. Then, after the front end of the printing paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, the movable blade 26b of the cutting device 26 moves to cut the printing paper P after the predetermined amount is conveyed based on the command information. The drive roller 41 a continues to drive after this cutting, and stops at the rear end portion of the cut printing paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 . At this stage, the printing paper P held by the roller pair 41 is in a state of being cut from the first upstream conveyance path without being placed on the first upstream conveyance path (cutting unit U2 ). In addition, the support roller 15 and the supply roller 17 of the first supply unit U1 and the delivery roller 25 of the cutting unit U2 stop after the printing paper P is cut.

Next, the driving belt 48 of the switchback unit U4 starts running, and the roller pair 41 holding the printing paper P moves upward and stops at the delivery position (see FIG. 5 ). As a result, the printing paper P is transported from the first receiving position to the delivery position.

Thereafter, the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 rotates clockwise (reversed) in FIG. 5 , and sends the cut printing paper P toward the front of the frame in the horizontal direction to the conveying roller 75 of the printing U5.

When the above-mentioned printing paper P is sent out, the front end (the rear end when receiving) of the printing paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor, and the conveying roller 75 of the printing unit U5 starts to run through the detection. By this detection, the printing paper P The operation of the conveyance roller 75 is temporarily stopped only when a predetermined amount (the amount by which the front end of the printing paper P is nipped by the conveyance roller 75 ) is sent out. As a result, the leading end portion of the printing paper P is nipped and held on the transport roller 75 . Thereafter, in this holding state, as described above, the roller pair 41 holding the printing paper P is moved downward to correct the curl of the printing paper P (see FIG. 7 ). At this time, the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41 may be rotated forward or backward, or may be stopped. However, when the drive roller 41 a is reversed, its rotational speed and the moving speed of the roller pair 41 need to be set appropriately so that tension can be applied to the printing paper P.

Soon, although the rear end of the printing paper P is separated from the roller pair 41, since the length of the printing paper P is equal to or shorter than the distance L1 between the first receiving position and the delivery position, the rear end of the printing paper P The position separated from the roller pair 41 is a height position higher than the first receiving position. Therefore, when the length of the printing paper P is shorter than the distance L1, after the rear end of the printing paper P is separated from the roller pair 41, the roller pair 41 continues to move downward in its original state and returns to the first receiving position. Assuming that after the curl correction is performed on the printing paper P which is longer than the above-mentioned distance L1, since the position where the rear end of the printing paper P is separated from the roller pair 41 is located below the first receiving position, the rear end of the printing paper P is separated from the roller pair 41. After being separated on 41, the pair of rollers 41 moves upward and returns to the first receiving position.

After the above-mentioned roller pair 41 returns to the first receiving position, or before returning to the first receiving position and passing the position where the rear end of the printing paper P is separated from the roller pair 41, the conveying roller 75 runs here and moves toward the printing paper P. The stage 66 conveys the printing paper P held during the curl correction. Then, the printing head 67 is moved along the main scanning direction while the conveying roller 75 is intermittently moved according to the unit conveying amount, and the inkjet nozzles 67b of each head unit 67a of the printing head 67 are used for printing on the printing table 66. The paper P is printed by ejecting ink.

The printed printing paper P passes through the discharge roller 81 , and is discharged to the outside of the housing 1 with the printed surface facing upward, and is caught by the discharge tray 5 .

On the other hand, when printing is performed on the printing paper P set in the cassette accommodating portion 3, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned at the second receiving position (see FIG. 6 ). Then, the printing paper P is pulled out from the cassette storage portion 3 by the operation of the delivery roller 35 of the second supply unit U3, and is conveyed to the roller pair 41 located at the second receiving position.

Next, the roller pair 41 grips the rear end of the printing paper P like the printing paper P pulled out from the carton storage unit 2 , moves upward and stops at the delivery position. As a result, the printing paper P is transported from the second receiving position to the delivery position. Thereafter, the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41 is reversed, and the printing paper P is fed out to the transport roller 75 of the printing unit U5 in a direction opposite to the moving direction at the time of receiving.

When the printing paper P is sent out to the conveying roller 75, the leading edge of the printing paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor, and the conveying roller 75 of the printing unit U5 starts to operate by the detection. In the case of the printing paper P placed in the cassette accommodating portion 3, since curl correction is not required, the transport roller 75 continues to run without stopping, and receives the printing paper P sent out by the diverting unit U4, and keeps it in its original state. to the print station 66. In addition, after the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 detects the rear end of the printing paper P by the second paper detection sensor 58, it moves downward and returns to the second receiving position.

Next, the print head 67 is moved in the main scanning direction to perform printing while the print paper P is intermittently conveyed by the conveyance roller 75 by the unit conveyance amount similarly to the paper P pulled out from the carton accommodating portion 2 . The printed printing paper P passes through the discharge roller 81 , and is discharged to the outside of the housing 1 with the printing surface facing upward, and is caught by the discharge tray 5 .

Therefore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the diverting unit U4 is provided as the paper conveying device, and the roller pair 41 of the diverting unit U4 is located at the first receiving position corresponding to the downstream end of the first upstream conveying path and corresponding to the second upstream conveying path. The second receiving position at the downstream end of the road and the delivery position corresponding to the upstream end of the downstream side conveying road reciprocate, and by carrying out the mode of conveying the printing paper P, corresponding to the order information, it can be placed in the carton accommodating part 2 The strip-shaped printing paper P and the single-sheet-shaped printing paper P placed in the cassette storage unit 3 are selectively conveyed to the printing unit 4, thereby improving the efficiency of the printing process. In addition, the first supply unit U1, the cutting unit U2 (the first upstream conveying path) and the carton accommodating portion 2, the second supply unit U3 (the second upstream conveying path) and the box accommodating portion 3, And the configuration of the downstream conveying path (printing unit U5).

In addition, the diversion unit U4 can respectively shorten the amount of conveyed printing paper P, the length of the first upstream conveyance path, and the length of the second upstream conveyance path as much as possible, and the first and second upstream conveyance paths constituted by various rollers can be shortened as much as possible. In the middle of conveying the printing paper P on the side conveying path, it is not necessary to independently provide two upstream conveying paths and to make the lengths of these upstream conveying paths different from each other, but also to suppress adverse effects on the conveying state. The printing paper P pulled out from the two paper placement parts 2 and 3 can be conveyed to the printing part 4 in the state.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the printing paper P can be guided from the first or second upstream side conveyance path to the downstream side conveyance path with the printing surface facing up by the turnaround unit U4 that functions as a turnaround device. The arrangement of the printing section 4 (downstream side conveyance path) and the paper placement section (first and second upstream side conveyance paths) vertically makes it possible to convey the printing paper P to the printing section 4 without greatly bending the printing paper P. . This structure does not promote curling of the printing paper P rolled up like a roll. In addition, in combination with the structure that lifts the printing paper P to a position higher than the upper surface of the printing table 66 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the printing table 66, planarity can be ensured without providing a suction device. Alternatively, the flatness of the printing paper P in the printing unit 4 can be sufficiently ensured by a simple and small suction device. Furthermore, with regard to the first conveyance path, since the upstream conveyance path and the first receiving position on the upstream side of the switch unit U4 are provided above the center of the roll of the roll-shaped printing paper P placed in the carton accommodating portion 2 Side position, in combination with the fact that the printing paper P does not need to be bent and turned back from the first upstream conveying path to the downstream conveying path, the first upstream conveying path and the downstream conveying path can be set close to each other (on the first upstream conveying path If there is no second upstream conveyance path between the downstream conveyance path, the first upstream conveyance path and the downstream conveyance path can be set closer together), not only in the horizontal direction, but also in the vertical direction for inkjet printers. compression. Therefore, the overall size of the inkjet printer can be reduced, and the flatness of the printing paper P in the printing unit 4 can be ensured at low cost. Moreover, in the case of the single-sheet printing paper P in the cassette accommodating portion 3, since it is basically not bent, curling does not occur, and the suction device can be sufficiently drawn without providing a suction device or by a simple and small suction device. The flatness of the printing paper of the printing section 4 is ensured.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, since the conveying roller 75 provided on the upstream end portion of the diverting unit U4 and the downstream conveying path constitutes the correcting means for correcting the curl of the printing paper P from the carton accommodating portion 2, there is no In the state where the curl correcting device is independently assembled in the inkjet printer, the flatness of the printing paper P in the printing unit 4 can be ensured more reliably and the printing quality can be maintained at a high level. Furthermore, in a state where the printing paper P is held by the roller pair 41 and is bent to the opposite side from the curl, the curl is corrected by applying tension and straightening it out along the paper length direction, so even if there is a large curl The printing paper P can sufficiently correct the curl. Therefore, the suction device can be further miniaturized, or the suction device can be eliminated altogether.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, since the diverting unit U4 is configured as follows, the roller holding and printing the printing paper P is moved by the moving mechanism in the state where the printing paper P is cut from the first or second upstream conveying path. The pair 41 moves to the delivery position, so when the printing paper P is supplied to the printing table 66 of the downstream conveying path, the degree of inclination to the width direction of the printing paper P with respect to the printing table 66 can be reduced and suppressed, and the degree of inclination cannot be reduced. increase. That is, if the printing paper P is conveyed by the rollers, even a small error such as the shape of the spool is easy to skew, especially if a plurality of rollers are used, the printing paper P is not cut from the carton accommodating part 2. After the printing paper P is continuously conveyed to the printing unit 4, the inclination on the printing table 66 becomes very large due to the large number of rollers while being affected by the state of the printing paper P placed in the carton storage unit 2. . If the printing paper P is tilted on the printing table 66 as described above, the problem of low printing quality will occur. Especially in an inkjet printer, the inkjet nozzles 67b are arranged in a row along the sub-scanning direction (paper conveying direction), and if the printing paper P is inclined along the sub-direction, the positions of the printing paper P corresponding to the two ends of the nozzle row respectively As for the main scanning directions (sub-directions), a large deviation occurs from each other, and even a small inclination affects the print quality. However, in the above-mentioned embodiment, since the diverting unit U4 is provided in the middle of the first conveyance path, the printing paper P conveyed by the first upstream conveyance path is received at the first receiving position to be conveyed from the first upstream side. The state of the road cut is at the conveying position and is supplied to the printing table 66 after conveying, so the printing paper P on the printing table 66 will not be affected by the state of paper placement from the carton accommodating part 2 . Furthermore, by only conveying the amount of printing paper P in the switch unit U4, the length of the conveyance path conveyed by rollers can be shortened, and the number of rollers for paper conveyance can be reduced. Moreover, since the diverting unit U4 is also arranged in the middle of the second conveying path, even in the case of single-sheet printing paper P, as with strip-shaped printing paper P, the amount of printing paper P to the printing unit 4 can be reduced. Slope in the width direction. Therefore, the inclination of the printing paper P on the printing table 66 can be reduced, and the printing quality can be improved.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, by arranging these components in the order of the printing unit 4, the cassette storage unit 3, and the carton storage unit 2 relative to the reciprocating direction of the roller pair 41, that is, the vertical direction, the position between the delivery position and the first receiving position The interval L1 between them is relatively long, and the interval between the sending position and the second receiving position is relatively short. Thus, with respect to the elongated printing paper P, the action of returning the roller pair 41 from the delivery position to the first receiving position can also be used for the curl correction operation; The moving distance of the pair 41 is shortened, and the conveyance time of the single-sheet printing paper P can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to improve the conveyance efficiency of the strip-shaped printing paper P and the sheet-shaped printing paper P, respectively.

Furthermore, if the interval L1 is set in advance to be equal to or longer than the maximum length of the printing paper P when cut by the cutting unit U2, the efficiency of paper conveyance and the efficiency of further printing processing can be further improved. That is, when the distance L1 is shorter than the maximum length of the printing paper P, the roller pair 41 moves beyond the first receiving position from the delivery position to correct the curl of the long printing paper P, and then receives the printing paper below. P needs to return to the first receiving position. On the other hand, when the interval L1 is set to be equal to or longer than the maximum length of the printing paper P, the curling of the entire printing paper P can be completed only by the roller pair 41 moving from the sending position to the first receiving position. correction. With this structure, useless movement of the roller pair 41 can be suppressed, and the efficiency regarding paper conveyance can be improved.

Moreover, since the distance H between the first receiving position and the bottom surface of the space interval 12 is set to be equal to or longer than the maximum length of the printing paper P when cut by the cutting unit U2, it is pulled out from the carton accommodating portion 2. And the printing paper P cut according to the prescribed length on the cutting unit U2 is held in a hanging state by the roller pair 41 of the turning unit U4. touch. As a result, occurrence of meandering or contamination of the printing paper P is prevented, and a reduction in printing quality is prevented.

In addition, since the first receiving position corresponding to the downstream end of the cutting unit U2 is set at a position above the center of the spool of the printing paper P placed in the carton accommodating portion 2, as described above, combining the first and second upstream There is no need to bend and return the printing paper P from the side conveying path to the downstream conveying path, and the first and second upstream conveying paths and downstream conveying paths can be arranged close to each other, and they can be sprayed against each other not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction. Ink printers do the compression. At the same time, the distance H between the first receiving position and the bottom surface of the space interval 12 can be easily obtained through the vacated space generated behind the frame body of the carton accommodating portion 2, and the frame body 1 can be adjusted along the up-down direction. compression. Therefore, the inkjet printer can be configured to cope with long printing (printing with a relatively long length), and the overall size of the inkjet printer can be reduced.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the carton storage unit 2, the cassette storage unit 3, and the printing unit 4 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the roller pair of the steering unit U4 is configured to move in the vertical direction corresponding to these vertical positions. 41, so make the frame body lengthwise and shorten the length of the frame body 1 in the left-right direction or in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, since the printing paper P is moved in the front-rear direction of the frame, the length of the frame 1 in the left-right direction can be shortened in particular. Therefore, printing can be easily set up in a narrow space.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the carton accommodating part 2 and the cassette accommodating part 3 are provided one by one, but two or more carton accommodating parts 2 and/or cassette accommodating parts 3 may be provided.

For example, an inkjet printer as shown in FIG. 9 shows an example in which first to third three carton storage sections 2a, 2b, and 2c for storing printing paper P of different paper widths are provided. In this inkjet printer, the first carton storage part 2a is arranged at the lower position, the second and third carton storage parts 2b, 2c are arranged at the upper position, and the second and third carton storage parts are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Carton storage parts 2b, 2c. As shown in FIG. 9 , since the diverting unit U4 is provided, the freedom of arrangement of each carton accommodating portion 2a, 2b, 2c is improved, and two or more carton accommodating portions 2a, 2b, 2c can be arranged side by side in the vertical direction and the left-right direction.

In FIG. 9 , although the illustration of the cutting unit U2 is omitted, the cutting unit U2 can also be arranged on the rear side of each frame, and can also be arranged inside each carton accommodating portion 2a, 2b, 2c.

In addition, corresponding to arranging the above-mentioned second and third carton accommodating parts 2b and 2c side by side in the left-right direction, in the inkjet printer shown in FIG. While the roller pair 41 of the turning unit U4 (paper conveying device) is configured to reciprocate along the vertical rail (travel rail) 46 in the vertical direction, the horizontal rail 44 is formed. Thus, not only in the up and down direction, but also in the left and right directions, the roller pair 41 can reciprocate.

In the second and third receiving positions respectively corresponding to the above-mentioned second and third carton accommodating parts 2b and 2c, although the center of the printing paper P in the paper width direction becomes the center of the printing table 66 (the center of the main scanning direction) Offset in the paper width direction, but since the roller pair 41 can reciprocate in the up, down, left, and right directions, at the sending position (refer to the conveying roller 75), the center of the paper width direction of each printing paper P can be aligned with the printing table 66. The center is aligned and sent to the printing unit not shown in FIG. 9 .

In the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 9, like the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1, each carton accommodating part 2a, 2b, 2c can be arranged relatively freely, and can be selectively fed to the printing part 4 based on the order information. The printing paper P placed in each of the carton accommodating portions 2a, 2b, and 2c can be relatively shortened in length corresponding to the upstream conveyance path of each of the carton accommodating portions 2a, 2b, and 2c. Moreover, in the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 9, the lengths of the conveyance paths on the upstream side with respect to the first to third three carton accommodating portions 2a, 2b, and 2c can be made equal to each other, and the printing paper P can be suppressed. The conveying conditions of the feeder vary among multiple upstream conveying paths. In this way, the uniformity of printing quality is obtained. That is, printing on a specific printing paper P does not degrade relatively in quality compared to printing on other printing papers P. FIG.

Arranging the paper placement units of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 9 side by side in the left-right direction is not an essential configuration that allows the roller pair 41 to reciprocate in the up-down, left-right direction. For example, if the roller pair 41 has a length that can only hold the printing paper P at each receiving position arranged side by side in the left-right direction, even if the roller pair 41 is configured to reciprocate the turning unit along the up-down direction (that is, the turning direction shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 The unit U4) can selectively convey the printing paper P placed in each paper placement section. At this time, although the center of the paper width direction on each sheet of printing paper P is offset from the center of the printing table 66, the printing unit 4 only needs to execute printing control corresponding to the position of the printing paper P on the printing table 66 in the main scanning direction. Can.

In addition, although there is a structure in the above-mentioned embodiment, the carton storage part 2, the cassette storage part 3, and the printing part 4 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the first and second receiving positions and delivery positions are aligned in the vertical direction. , and make the roller pair 41 of the steering unit U4 move up and down, but the steering unit U4 is not limited to reciprocating movement in the up and down direction, as long as it is a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the first and second receiving positions and sending positions. For example, in a configuration in which two or more paper placement units and printing units are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and two or more receiving positions and delivery positions are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, as long as the roller pair 41 reciprocates in the horizontal direction It suffices to configure the steering unit U4.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in the diverting unit U4, the roller pair 41 constitutes the gripping member that receives and grips the printing paper P from the upstream conveying path. Any composition is fine. In this case, it is only necessary to independently provide a mechanism for introducing and delivering the printing paper P, such as rollers, and the like.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although one cartridge accommodating part 3 is provided, two or more cartridge accommodating parts 3 may be provided. At this time, it is preferable that the lengths of the cut-sheets P set in the cassette housing section 3 are different from each other, and that they are arranged oppositely from above in the order of longer lengths of the set cut-sheets P. Two or more cartridge storage parts 3 are arranged. Thereby, the receiving position of the long cut-sheet-shaped printing paper P is relatively high, and the receiving position of the short-length cut-sheet-shaped printing paper P is relatively low. On the other hand, as the above-mentioned space interval 12 (by the The space for the printing paper P on the roller pair 41 to hang downward) can be used to compress the frame 1 in the vertical direction by utilizing the space created behind the frame of the cassette housing section 3 arranged vertically. In addition, two or more carton accommodating parts 2 may be provided.

And in above-mentioned ink-jet type printer, for example as shown in Figure 10, also can not be provided with carton accommodating part 2, and the box accommodating part more than 2 (the 5 box accommodating parts 3a of the 1st～5th in the illustration ~3e). The first to fifth five cassette storage sections 3a to 3e are arranged side by side from the top to the bottom in order of the length of the placed single-sheet printing paper P, and the upstream side of each cassette storage section 3a to 3e is connected and conveyed. The distances between the downstream end of the road and the bottom surface of the space interval 12, that is, the distances H1 to H5 between the first to fifth receiving positions and the bottom surface of the space interval 12 are respectively set to receive single-sheet paper at the reception positions. above the length. Accordingly, when the roller pair 41 of the switch unit U4 grips the printing paper P, the printing paper P does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the housing 1 . Furthermore, since the first to fifth cassette storage sections 3a to 3e are arranged in order from the top to the bottom in the order of the length of the placed cut-sheets P, the relatively long cut-sheets P are stored. It is set in the cartridge storage part (for example, the 1st or 2nd cartridge storage part 3a, 3b) located in the opposite upper part. Thereby, the rear spaces of the first to fifth cartridge housing portions 3a to 3e can be utilized as the space interval 12, and the housing 1 can be compressed in the vertical direction.

In addition, although the arrangement order of the above-mentioned carton accommodating portion 2 and box accommodating portion 3 may be any, when arranging these accommodating portions 2 and 3 vertically, if the carton accommodating portion 2 is arranged in more than one or more boxes The receiving position corresponding to the downstream end of the upstream side conveyance path connected to the carton storing part 2 at a lower position of the storing part 3 is provided at a position above the reel of the roll-shaped printing paper P placed in the carton storing part 2, Then, on the side opposite to the carton accommodating portion 2 of the opposing roller pair 41, only the size (reel diameter) of the roll-shaped printing paper P of the carton accommodating portion 2 produces a vacant space, which can be used as the above-mentioned space interval 12 Use that space efficiently.

On the other hand, if one or two or more cassette accommodating sections 3 are arranged at a lower position than the carton accommodating section 2, the upstream side of the carton accommodating section 2 will be connected as the arrangement position of the carton accommodating section 2 becomes an upper position. The position of the downstream end of the side conveying path becomes relatively high, and the space generated on the opposite side of the opposite roller pair 41 to the cassette housing portion 3 can be used as the above-mentioned space interval 12, and it can also be used for printing on relatively long printing paper P, And the inkjet printer can be compressed in the up and down direction.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the correction of the curl is performed by moving the roller pair 41 downward from the delivery position (on the side of the first receiving position where the printing paper P is received), when the printing paper P is in the same direction as When carrying out the opposite side curling (the central part in the longitudinal direction protrudes toward the back side relative to both ends), the curling can be corrected by moving the roller pair 41 upward from the delivery position (opposite to the first receiving position). At this time, the printing paper P is wound around the lower roller of the roller pair 41 , that is, the drive roller 41 a in a state of being bent to the opposite side of the curl.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the transport roller 75 that receives the printing paper P sent out by the roller pair 41 located at the delivery position and transports it to the printing unit 4 is used as the holding member of the curl straightening device, the present invention is not limited thereto. , may be constituted by a holding member capable of holding the printing paper P in the thickness direction.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the paper conveying device of the present invention is constituted by the diverting unit U4 serving both as a diverting device and a curl correcting device, the paper conveying device of the present invention does not need to function as a diverting device or a curl correcting device. For example, the downstream side conveyance path may be arranged on the opposite side to the plurality of upstream side conveyance paths with respect to the roller pair 41 . At this time, the paper conveying device sends out the printing paper P to the downstream side conveying path in the same direction as the moving direction of the printing paper P when the printing paper P is received at the sending position. That is, the paper conveying device may be configured as follows: there is a holding mechanism that reciprocates between the first to nth (n is a natural number greater than 2) receiving positions and the sending position corresponding to the upstream end of the downstream side conveying path by the moving mechanism. A component that receives and holds the printing paper P conveyed through the upstream conveying path by the holding member at any of the first to nth receiving positions, and moves the holding member from the receiving position to the delivery position by the moving mechanism. Move, and send out the above-mentioned held printing paper to the above-mentioned downstream side conveyance path at this delivery position.

If the paper conveying device of the present invention is used, a curl correcting device can be easily configured. That is, at the upstream end of the downstream side conveying path, a holding member for holding the front end of the printing paper P that is sent out by the paper conveying device at the sending position is provided in advance, and the printing paper P is sent out at the sending position. After P starts to be sent out to the downstream side conveying path, when the front end of the printing paper P is held by the above-mentioned holding member, it passes through the moving mechanism and only passes through the pair of rollers 41 that clamp the vicinity of the front end of the printing paper P. It is only necessary to move from the delivery position to the receiving position where the printing paper P is received or to the opposite side. In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the moving mechanism of the paper conveying device moves the roller pair 41 in the vertical direction, it is not limited to this, and the moving direction of the roller pair 41 (that is, the direction in which the roller pair 41 faces) can be The positional relationship between the paper conveyance device, the holding member, the upstream conveyance path, the downstream conveyance path, and the like may be appropriately set. However, it is ideal that the entire inkjet printer can be compressed by arranging the paper conveying device, the holding member, the upstream conveying path, the downstream conveying path, etc. according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the inkjet printer of the present invention is suitable for use in a photo printing system, as long as the printing paper P (long printing paper wound on a roll or a single Sheet-like printing paper) is carried out in the form of conveying from the paper placement part to the printing part 4 of the inkjet printer, and the present invention can be applied to any configuration.

Claims (3)

1. An inkjet printer, which has: The 1st to nth paper placement parts for placing the printing paper respectively; 1st to nth upstream conveyance paths for pulling out and conveying the printing papers respectively placed in the first to nth paper placement parts; a printing unit, which prints on the printing surface of the printing paper; a downstream conveying path for conveying the printing paper to the printing unit, in: A paper conveying device is further provided, the paper conveying device has a gripping member, and the gripping member is placed at the first to nth receiving positions corresponding to the respective downstream ends of the first to nth upstream conveyance paths by a moving mechanism. , and a reciprocating movement between the delivery position corresponding to the upstream end of the downstream side conveying path, The paper conveying device is configured to receive and hold the printing paper conveyed by the upstream conveying path through the holding member at any one of the first to nth receiving positions, and at the same time make the printing paper conveyed by the moving mechanism the gripping member moves from the receiving position to the sending position, and sends the held printing paper to the downstream conveying path at the sending position, Here, n is a natural number of 2 or more. 2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein: The first to nth upstream conveyance paths are arranged vertically side by side, and are configured to convey the printing paper with the printing surface facing up, The downstream side conveyance path is located above any of the upstream side conveyance paths, and the downstream side conveyance path is configured to convey the printing paper in a direction opposite to that of the upstream side conveyance path with the printing surface facing upward. , The paper conveying device is configured to receive and hold the printing paper conveyed by the upstream conveying path by the gripping member at any one of the first to nth receiving positions, and move the paper conveyed by the moving mechanism to The holding member moves from the receiving position to the delivery position located above it, and at the delivery position, the gripped printing paper moves toward the downstream in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the printing paper at the time of receiving. The side conveyor is sent out. 3. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein, At least one of the 1st to nth paper placement parts is used as a carton storage part, and the carton storage part is placed in a strip-shaped printing paper rolled up in a scroll shape, A cutting device that cuts the printing paper to a predetermined length is arranged on the upstream conveying path that pulls out and conveys the printing paper placed in the carton accommodating portion, The holding part of the paper conveying device is a pair of rollers that freely rotate forward and reverse around their respective central axes and face each other and clamp the printing paper therebetween, At the upstream end of the downstream side conveying path, a holding member is provided to hold the leading end of the printing paper sent out by the paper conveying device at the sending position, and the printing paper is, The paper conveying device is in a position where the leading end of the printing paper is held by the holding member after the printing paper cut by the cutting device to a predetermined length is started to be sent out to the downstream side conveying path at the sending position. state, by the moving mechanism, the pair of rollers holding the vicinity of the front end of the printing paper is moved from the delivery position to the side of the receiving position for receiving the printing paper or the opposite side, so that the printing paper The part clamped by the pair of rollers moves from the vicinity of the front end to the rear end side, thereby straightening the printing paper in the longitudinal direction and correcting the curl caused by the roll-up characteristic.

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